Defining Home
by duckie lover 151
Summary: Hinata is found beaten nearly to death by a strange group of outcasts. Suffering from severe amnesia, she's afraid to go forward, but what other option do you have when there's nothing to go back to?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

Pain. All over. Everywhere. Consuming, ecompassing, unbearable pain. A gasp tears its way up her throat, creating a fiery path in its wake. She would scream, but she knows it won't help, knows it will make everything worse.

She tries to open her eyes and immediately clamps them again, shut tight. Somewhere in the back of her mind it registers that the lighting was dim, but it still burns her eyes, increasing the pain she can feel in every fiber of her being tenfold.

And yet… She knows she must open her eyes again. She's been lost to the darkness for too long all ready.

It's not so bright this time. She's been cast in shadow. Someone has come to stand over her, blocking her from the harsh light.

"Relax." The voice is calm and commanding.

And she listens. Her shuddering body stills, and she is lost to unconsciousness once more.

…

It's a strange, unfitting combination of sounds that wakes her next. She can hear birds chirping, but this is mere background noise. What really catches her attention is the shouting from the next room over.

"Would you stop nagging me, woman? I'm trying to work."

"You're not working! You're writing! Anyone can write! I can write! As a matter of fact, I've written a song! It's called _I can't support my family writing porn so I should get off my fat ass and go get a real job!_"

"Well maybe we'd _have_ extra money if you didn't spend it all on booze!"

"Shut up! You'll wake my patient!"

"Too late."

The door swings open revealing two people, a man and a woman. She could recognize that they were both older, past middle-aged. However, if the conversation they'd just been having was anything to judge them by, they weren't lacking in the energy department.

The woman had brown eyes and long blond hair that was pulled back into two loose pigtails. She wore black heels that emphasized her already tall stature and a green kimono-like jacket over a gray blouse that showed off her ample chest.

The man had even longer, spiky white hair. He was also quite large, but certainly not fat as the woman's words had suggested. He had drawn thin lines from the bottoms of his eye sockets down his cheeks in red paint.

"Good, you're awake," the woman says, sounding much calmer than she had expected. She comes closer and looks her up and down. "And you look much better than you did yesterday."

She struggles to sit up, but falls back down before the woman's hand can restrain her. She's aware of a burning that seems to come from every pore in her body, though the pain is much duller than it was the last time she was awake. They notice her wince.

"I wouldn't move for a while," the man suggests. "Tsunade here's got you doped up on just about every painkiller I can think of, but I'm sure it still hurts quite a bit."

"I'm Tsunade," the woman introduces herself unnecessarily, "and this is Jiraiya."

She tries to nod, but that sends another inferno rushing down her spine with renewed vigor and they notice her grimace.

"We'll let you rest in a minute," Tsunade promises, "but first, it'd be nice to know the identity of my patient."

She opens her mouth to speak, pauses a second, then closes it. She has surprised herself by how calm she's felt through the parts of this whole ordeal that she's been so far awake for, but now panic floods her brain. What is her name? She should know that. She begins to search inside herself for other things she should know. Who are her parents? Her best friend? What's her favorite food? Her favorite color?

She swallows, takes a deep breath, and fights down the alarm. She remembers Tsunade's words from before and tries to relax. Slowly but surely, one word comes to her through the darkness.

"Hinata," she answers, still not as confidently as she would have liked. "My name is Hinata"

"And… do you have a surname?" Jiraiya questions, having noticed her hesitation.

Unexpectedly, her eyes fill with tears. "I don't know."

**Review please!**

**I don't own Naruto!**

**I probably should have explained this beforehand, but this is an AU…**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Hinata slowly traces her finger down the exposed skin on her arm. According to Tsuande, the jacket she was wearing is in tatters, and now that she's wearing only a tanktop, she's not terribly surprised.

She's settled herself in front of a mirror. Her eyes travel up to her face and she sees scratches covering previously smooth skin. But Tsunade has assured her that those will heal. It's the deeper scratches and gashes all up and down her arms and torso that will leave everlasting scars.

It was strange looking at her own body and not knowing what she was _supposed_ to look like. She wasn't very muscled; she wondered if she'd put up much of a fight to whoever had done this to her. She brought a weathered hand up to her hair. It was black, extremely short, and stuck out in the back.

Tsunade said she had transient global amnesia. In a nutshell this meant that, due to the trauma, she'd forgotten just about everything, including who she was. However, she hadn't become totally oblivious to how the world worked. For instance, she was aware that her eyes were a paler color than most. Tsunade had called it a stroke of luck that she'd been able to remember her first name, and hoped that this meant that over time she'd be able to retrieve more and more of her memories. Until that point (if that point came at all) they'd just have to wait and see what happened next.

There is a light knock on the door, and Hinata looks up to see Tsunade herself standing in the doorway. She holds out a dark grey sweatshirt.

"This was the best I could find. It shouldn't be too big on you."

"Thank you." Hinata takes the sweatshirt from her hostess and slips it on over her head. It _is_ baggy, but it fits her better than any of Tsunade's other clothes would. Besides, she hardly feels like complaining that it's a little big. It covers that large rip on her upper thigh in the jeans she is wearing that are otherwise intact.

Hinata stretches her arms out and is turning back and forth in front of the mirror when a door to another room slams open with a bang and a voice rings out, "Hey, all! I'm home!"

Tsunade sighs. It makes Hinata wonder how often this barrage of noise occurs.

A second later, a boy with blond, spiky hair bursts into the room, taking the whirlwind of noise with him. "Grandma Tsuande!" He stops and raises his eyebrows when he catches sight of her.

"Naruto," Tsunade says, speaking especially quiet on purpose. "What have I said about inside voices?"

Naruto ignores this chide, instead coming further into the room to stare at her. For the first time Hinata feels selfconscious. She pulls the edge of the long sweatshirt down even further as he leans forward to put his face uncomfortably close to her own, as if he thinks he'll be able to recognize her if he gets a closer look.

He backs up suddenly and points at her rather rudely, turning back to Tsunade. "Who's she?"

Tsunade sighs again. "Why don't we all go have lunch?" She suggests. "I'll explain everything."

…

"Huh," Naruto says, finishing his fourth bowl of ramen noodles. "So you really can't remember anything?"

"No," she answers. "Nothing past my first name." Hinata had opted for one of the sandwiches Tsunade had made. Now she decides that was a good decision. He has eaten enough for all four of them.

"Huh…" For a moment he looks deep in thought, then a smile spreads over his face. "Well, it doesn't matter. You can stay here at Headquarters until you do remember." The problem apparently solved, he grabs another bowl to continue stuffing his face.

"Headquarters?" Hinata turns to Tsunade and Jiraiya who are sitting across the table. "What is this place Headquarters for?"

"Well, I wouldn't really call it Headquarters…" starts Tsunade.

"It's more like a rest stop for travelers," Jiraiya explains. "We aren't a part of either kingdom, so anyone can come here. And I will warn you that we do cater to _everyone_," he ended, sounding a bit stern.

Hinata nods. What did that really mean to her? After all, as long as she couldn't remember who she was, she wasn't a part of any kingdom either. Which reminds her…

"Um, Tsunade?" Her hostess grunts to show that she's listening. "This whole amnesia thing _is_ temporary… right?"

Tsunade looks up from her drink which Hinata is only fifty percent sure is tea. "That's hard to say. It really depends on the severity of your condition… You were pretty banged up. Just that you could remember your first name is a huge achievement. I'd like to take that as a sign that the rest of your memory should return, but should that be in days, months, or maybe even years, I can't be sure."

Hinata's eyes widen. Years? She could be like this for _years_? She clears her throat which has suddenly gone unbelievably dry. She musters up the courage to ask her next question.

"And… what if I don't remember?"

Tsunade is quiet, but Naruto looks over at her and smiles. "Don't worry, Hinata! Everything will be fine; I'm sure of it!"

Hinata finds herself giving him a feeble smile back if only because she wants so badly to believe him.

**Review please!**

**I don't own Naruto.**

**I would like to thank **Rose Tiger, NaruHina Love Birds, Canadagirl52, jgirl6906, AnimeFan202, and fujingodofwind **for reviewing the first chapter!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Happy Birthday, Luke!**

**Chapter Three**

The days pass slowly. The room she woke up in has been officially given to her for the duration of her stay. Hinata sighs, thinking about it. Like anyone knows how long that will be.

The sun has just begun to glare in through her window. It can't be later than six. She wonders if she was a morning person in her past life, as she's begun to think of it. Did she rise with the sun every morning? Or would this be considered a rare occurrence?

Hinata swings her feet to the floor and tiptoes across her bedroom floor. She closes her door just as quietly. She makes her way into the kitchen, still trying to be as quiet as possible. While she may not be as sure of herself, she's learned that no one else in this house is a morning person.

Tsunade and Jiraiya, her host and hostess, have a habit of staying up late, and they rarely go to bed sober. While Naruto didn't seem to be much of a morning person either, he always rose with the sun. She knew he was out in the woods now, training tirelessly.

He was gone for most of the day, and while he seemed to have taken a general interest in her well-being, she rarely saw him when he was home. He spent that much time by himself, training. She wondered how he dealt with all the solitude. Because when he was home she could see that he was really a quite sociable person.

She's found that no one in this house is much of a cook, and the empty take-out containers that line the sink are a testament to that. And after quite a few failed attempts at making her own meals, she has found that she isn't particularly gifted in the culinary arts either. She wonders who made her meals for school in the morning? Did she go to school? Naruto doesn't, but it would be pretty hard to enroll either of them as they aren't the subjects of either kingdom.

The way Tsunade's explained it, there are two kingdoms. One to the north of here, and one to the west. Each is run by a powerful family. The north kingdom belongs to the Hyuga family, and the west to the Uchiha. Tsunade and Jiraiya used to belong to the Uchiha kingdom, but haven't seen either of the royal families for quite some time. According to Jiraiya, there was a time when the two kingdoms were constantly in the midst of terrible wars, but they'd been at peace for a while. He guessed at least for the past fifteen years or so.

Hinata stoops down to open the cabinet beneath the sink. She pulls out a bowl of cereal, avoiding the packets of instant ramen that fill the rest of the cupboard. She smiles to herself. Even having only lived here for about a week, she's noticed that ramen is about all Naruto ever eats.

Speak of the devil… Just as she sits down to eat her breakfast Naruto rushes through the door. He moves to get his own breakfast but doesn't notice her until he straightens up from the cupboard, ramen packet clutched in his hand.

"Oh! Hey, Hinata-chan."

She giggles. "Good morning, Naruto-kun. How was your training?"

Living out in the middle of the woods, she's figured the chance of accidentally running into any old friends from her past life would be pretty rare, but she doesn't see why she shouldn't make new friends if she can. And Naruto seems like a good place to start. He's a bit naïve, but never purposefully rude. He's confident, but never full of himself. And he's always so happy. It's like nothing in the world can bring him down.

"Pretty good," he replies, sitting down across from him. "I'm thinking of going into town today." He begins to slurp down his ramen.

"Really? Are you meeting with Iruka-san today?" He nods through his mouthful of food.

Hinata learned right away that Naruto wished to be part of the Uchiha family's royal guard. He told her straight out that he plans to climb straight to the top of the line, and that's what he's always out training for. Everyone who dreams to do so is assigned a trainer-one of the lower class guards. Hinata had never met Iruka Umino, but Naruto spoke highly of him.

"I wonder if my parents are a part of the Uchiha kingdom…" she wasn't sure if she'd meant to say it out loud, but she had, and Naruto stopped eating to look at her.

"My parents were," he said quietly.

"Yeah?" She was a bit surprised. As much as she'd heard about Naruto himself, she could count on one hand the number of time she'd heard his parents mentioned: once, when Tsunade and Jiraiya told her that Naruto's father had been their son.

"Well, my dad was." The ghost of a smile brushes past his face. "My dad was top of the royal guard, just like I'm going to be. His job was to guard the king. My mom was the local village outcast. According to Grandma Tsunade, she was pretty wild. I guess my dad was the first person who really listened to her, and they fell in love. The night I was born, my dad died from complications to a wound he got protecting the king. The palace had been ambushed that night."

As Hinata listens, the boy's unusually soft voice seems to transport her to a luxurious castle in the middle of the night.

"Anyway, that same night, my mom died 'cause of complications with the birth…" He lowers his voice and leans further across the table to whisper to her. "That's why Grandma Tsunade quit being a doctor. She couldn't save either of them… So she and the Pervy Sage took me and we've lived out here ever since."

"Oh…" It was a sad story and she could understand why it was rarely spoken of.

"Actually," he says, " I think you may be the first person she's really treated since she left."

Hinata looks down. So far she's remembered virtually nothing. Will she be Tsunade's next failed patient?

Hinata looks up to see that Naruto's abandoned the spot across from her. She spots him up on the counter, reaching for something on a shelf high above the sink.

"Um… Naruto-kun? What are you doing?"

He looks down at her and smirks. He leaps down from the counter and lands more smoothly than she would have imagined possible for someone normally so loud. He's holding a white bottle by its neck and his mischeivous smile grows wider.

"I've decided you need to get out a little more… You need a little excitement… And who says you can't get it even if you're refusing to leave the house?"

"I… I'm not refusing to leave the house…" But her protest is a feeble one as in the week she's spent here, she hasn't ventured past the front yard of the house. Tsunade's told her that the entire forest's her free domain, but she hasn't managed to muster up the courage to act on this knowledge. And no matter how much she pushes the thought down, she knows why. As much as she aches for her memories to return, she fears any sudden flashbacks of her attacks. After all, she was found in this exact forest. What if the sight of being surrounded by all these endless trees triggers something horrifying?

Hinata just barely shakes her head to bring herself back to the present. The present and Naruto holding Tsunade's spare sake bottle… She wonders how much she'll have to barter with Naruto to get out of this. Because she's certain he won't give up without a fight.

"What? You trying to get me drunk?" She accuses, subconsciously backing away from him. Not a move that'll help with her argument…

"Not at all," he replies smoothly, coming ever closer, "It's just… I've started to think of you as a friend, Hinata-chan. And I don't generally go around being friends with a _chicken._"

She's not sure what part of his explanation is the part that's stopped her in her tracks. Is it the little flare of indignance that popped up when he accused her of being a coward? Or was it that he's called her his friend… and that she desperately wants his friendship. Hinata takes a deep breath. It's just a sip, right?

She makes a big show of huffing and snatching the bottle away from him.

"Fine. But if I do this, you have to too. After all, I don't usually make friends with chickens either."

"You don't know _who_ you make friends with," he pointed out. He doesn't say it to be mean. It's just one of his naïve blunt moments, and though she rolls her eyes, she doesn't really take it to heart.

"Exactly," she counters. "So I can make friends with whoever I want."

She tops off her dramatic ending with a swig from the bottle… which is much fuller than she'd expected. Most of it spills out over her sweatshirt, and she chokes a little, coughing and spluttering. The few drops that do slide down her throat leave a fiery path in their wake.

Naruto bursts out laughing at the sight of her doubled over, eyes watering.

"That's disgusting!" she exclaims, trying to recover at least a little of her shattered dignity. "What-"

"Are you two doing?" a menacing voice finishes for her. She turns to see Tsunade, in only a bathrobe, standing in the doorway. Naruto stops laughing immediately. Her burning throat is suddenly dull when compared to Tsunade's eyes. Naruto quickly sets the bottle down on the kitchen table.

"We were, uh…" he trail off.

Tsunade points to the door. "Go," she says. "Both of you. I'm sure you can find something better to do on this fine morning than break the law."

Naruto drags his feet, muttering something about, 'what would you know about morning, this is the first time you've gotten out of bed before ten in a month'. Hinata quickly follows him out, her head down, appropriately shamed.

Tsunade knows that she should probably be stricter on the two, but she finds herself smiling. Hinata's been quite contained since awakening. She wonders if Naruto will be the one to break her from her shell.

Absentmindedly, she picks up the sake bottle and takes a drink herself.

**Review please!**

**I don't own Naruto.**

**And I just saw the Hunger Games! :D It was AMAZING!**

**I'm not sure when I'll get the next chapter up… but I slipped in a huge part to the future of this story in here… Did you catch it? ;)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Naruto and Hinata both rush outside and quickly go their separate ways, not looking at each other. Hinata isn't entirely sure where she's going, but she knows that after that kind of embarrassment, she won't be able to look her new friend in the eye for quite some time.

She assumes Naruto is heading towards town, so she isn't terribly surprised when her own path takes her to a peaceful deserted clearing. This is the one part of the woods she's seen so far (and let's face it, she hasn't seen much) that's open to total sunlight.

She smiles. The grass is a luscious green and dotted with wildflowers. A small stream splits it down the middle. Hinata sits down beside the trickling water and spreads out on the ground. It's a nice day, pleasantly warm. She closes her eyes and breathes in the fresh air.

She can hardly describe this need to just get away from it all, but it's… with a start she shoots up into a sitting position. She knows what this feeling is. It's familiar! Suddenly her heart is beating as if she's just run a mile.

Hinata closes her eyes and tries to calm her breathing. It works and after a moment she calms down, but still, a little thrill goes through her that she can not extinguish. No, it's not much, but it's _something_ which is more than she's gotten out of her alleged past in an entire week. All of a sudden, she doesn't mind having been basically kicked out of the house so much.

Hinata lays back down and resorts to a little game that she's begun to play with herself more and more often. It seems that after every little insignificant thing she does lately, she'll find herself going through all the possible scenarios of how that action would have been performed and why in her past life.

Now she can't help but wonder what it was in her old life that she'd felt the need to get away from. Had she been overly stressed out? She wondered if she'd gone to school and been some sort of anal straight-A student. Had she had high expectations to live up to? Or had she maybe been an orphan, living on the streets, just stressed about life in general?

"Excuse me, are you all right?"

Hinata's eyes pop open in surprise to see someone standing over her. To say she's surprised is an understatement; she hadn't heard anyone walk up to her.

"Oh! Um, yes, I'm fine." She sits up, hating that her new discovery is still true: she's found that her voice is unreasonably squeaky (almost annoyingly so even to her own ears).

The person standing next to her has long dark brown hair that falls in a straight line all the way down her back. Her eyes are also a deep brown and have a kindness to them. She wears a pink kimono and has a basket on her arm. A glance in the basket tells Hinata that she's collecting herbs.

Hinata blushes. "I'm sorry to worry you, Ma'am."

The woman in front of her smiles. "Actually, I'm a boy." Hinata's blush now stems from humiliation, but there's not a trace of unpleasantness on the extremely feminine boy's face.

"O-oh…"

He laughs, a nice sound, a bit deeper than she had expected. "That's okay. It's a common mistake." He holds out the hand that isn't carrying the basket. "My name is Haku."

Hinata grabs his hand and he pulls her to her feet. She shakes and says, "Hinata. I'm pleased to make your acquaintance."

He chuckles again and lets go of her hand. When she looks confused he replies, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you. It's just that you have a very proper way of speaking. Are you from the city?"

Hinata looks down, not sure if she should be embarrassed or not, but after mistaking this boy's gender she figures she can slip much further down the humiliation scale than she already has.

"Actually, I don't know where I'm from. I lost my memory," she explains. "An old couple and their grandson found me in this forest, beaten to unconsciousness. They healed me, and I've been staying with them ever since."

"Ah. You mean Tsunade and Jiraiya," he says, nodding.

She looks at him, surprised.

"You're not the first outcast they've taken in," he explains. "You're lucky. They're good people. I'm sorry about your memory, but I'm sure you'll be fine."

She nods politely, not completely sure what to say. She hasn't really had to deal with the sympathy factor. As a matter of fact, the only person she's seen other than Naruto, Jiraiya, and Tsunade themselves, has been a wayward merchant that Tsunade pointed on his way.

"I've heard they'll kind of take in anyone."

Haku nods. "Yes. They've been very kind to me. I'm an outlaw."

Hinata's head snaps over to look at him, but he pretends not to notice. He's said it so calmly, as if it's something one hears every day. He turns over and smiles at her when she can't seem to tear her eyes away.

"I used to live on the streets," he explained. "My parents died when I was young. We didn't live in a very good neighborhood… The villagers all assumed I had killed them. Then one day, this man was walking through town and he saw me. His name was Zabuza. He doesn't look it, but he's actually very kind. He's been looking after me ever since. Zabuza is a mercenary. About a year ago, he got hired by a man on the wrong side of the law. We moved our hideout to deep in this forest."

"Wow…" Hinata says when he's finished. Suddenly, her story doesn't seem so impressive. She can't bring herself to decide if that's for better or for worse, and now she's found herself to be the one on the side of sympathy. "I'm sorry. It sounds like you've had a hard life."

He shrugs. "It's okay. I like living with Zabuza in this forest…. it's peaceful. And I meant what I said before: you're staying with good people. Zabuza and I ran into them by accident once, and we've come to visit since then. They've never judged us… I think they understand that the law isn't always necessarily right."

Hinata hadn't noticed they'd begun walking until she looks up to find the two of them standing in front of the very house she'd left maybe half an hour before. She's not sure what sort of mood Tsunade is in, but she doesn't see how she can turn Haku away from visiting now.

She opens the door to the kitchen and sees no one. "Come in," she says, ushering him inside.

She follows him in and he sets his basket down on the kitchen table, sitting down himself and looking perfectly comfortable.

"Would you like something to drink?" she asks, feeling every bit the hostess even though this isn't really her house. Well, it hardly matters; she's got no other place to call home. She doesn't wait for an answer; she's already gotten a glass from the cabinet and is filling it with water.

He thanks her as she sets it down in front of him and then takes a seat herself. She slumps down on the table and finds herself staring at the glass. She's heard the story of this one; it's one Jiraiya brought back from a bar in town after a particularly interesting night that Tsunade would prefer not be repeated too often. The cup had a woman engraved onto it. Her legs were crossed at the ankle in a way so that it was impossible to tell if her legs really were crossed or if she was simply a mermaid.

"I love this cup," she says unexpectedly. "Because you can't tell what it really is. I feel like it's kind of like my life right now…" She pauses then takes one look at Haku who's staring at her and buries her face in her hands. "My gosh! I'm so sorry!" She says, laughing. "I'm completely losing it, going on comparing my life to a cup!"

He laughs too. "That's okay. I understand. You're just really stressed out right now. Besides, you sounded pretty deep to me."

The sound of their laughter brings Tsunade to the kitchen. She's about to ask if Hinata simply circled the house for an hour when she spots their guest. Tsunade has gotten dressed since her last appearance and is looking (and feeling) much more agreeable.

"Haku," she said, only a little surprise in her voice. "It's been a while."

He looks over at her and bows his head slightly. "Yes. Thank you for having me again."

"It's our pleasure," says Jiraiya, whose come to stand behind Tsunade, framing her in the doorway. "What have you been up to, kid?"

He smiles politely. "Not much. I was collecting herbs today. Zabuza was injured during our last job-"

But they don't get to hear just what misfortune befell Haku's caregiver, for at that exact moment, Naruto rushes into the house.

"Naruto-kun!" says Hinata, shocked for the umpteenth time that day. "What are you doing home already?"

He's out of breath and his cheeks are flushed; he looks like he's sprinted the entire way back, and he probably has. "Guys!" he says, louder than necessary and looking terribly excited. "You'll never guess what happened!"

"Aren't you supposed to be training with Iruka?" Tsunade asks in the tone of a mother who's perfected her scolding tone.

"All training sessions have been cancelled until further notice! Because…" he takes a purposely full breath, keeping them in suspense. "The princess has gone missing!"

There's a moment of silence. Then Haku speaks up.

"I was under the impression that the royal family only had sons."

"Not in our kingdom!" he explains, loudly, the air of excitement going nowhere soon. "I mean the Hyuga family! Their oldest daughter has gone missing!"

The three teens begin to chatter among themselves about possibilities and what this could mean for the kingdom. In an ironic way, the three really sound like little adults, but Tsunade and Jiraiya don't appear to notice. And no one notices the look that passes between the two of them.

**Review please!**

**I would have had this chapter up sooner, but my computer decided to go and be all tempermental…**

**I don't own Naruto!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

It's strange. A week ago, Hinata swears Tsunade would have done anything to get her out of the house a little more often. Now, she seems to find any excuse to keep her their. Not to get her wrong, Hinata's grateful for the care Tsunade and Jiraiya have provided her, and she doesn't really mind the chores; it's just that she finds their actions strange.

Because it's not just the chores. Jiraiya and Tsunade have taken to watching her over the dinner table. More so, they've taken to both being home for dinner.

She wonders if she's just being paranoid. Naruto sure doesn't seem to notice anything. Then again… perhaps she should stick to her own instincts… just in case.

Three days later the group (Hinata still felt weird thinking of them as a family) of four gets two surprise dinner guests. Hinata gasps when opens the door. The incredibly tall and muscled man would be intimidating under normal circumstances, but he's even more so with the mask covering half his face and the large scar running down the length of his recently unbandaged arm. For a moment, Hinata can do nothing but stare up at him silently, more than a little afraid… until she spots Haku's considerably smaller form peeking out from behind the large man filling up the doorway.

She still can't think of what to say, but luckily, she doesn't have to. Because a second later Naruto spots their company.

"Haku! Zabuza!" He rushes forward, beaming, and throws the door open. Hinata backs up as the two walk in, the unfriendly man - the Zabuza that she's heard Haku praise so highly - grunts in Naruto's direction, but it doesn't face him in the least.

But it makes sense to her as the two sit down for dinner with them. She'd wondered why Tsunade had ordered so much food (as it turned out, she couldn't be bothered to cook even when they were expecting company). Hinata herself had gladly cooked the various vegetables Jiraiya had brought home from the market, just happy to have something to do after being stuck inside all didn't. She didn't think they turned out too bad.

She sits down between Haku and Naruto, not realizing until too late that this places her across from Zabuza. He stares at her for a moment, then averts his gaze, something she did immediately. Soon Tsunade and Jiraiya sit down, setting the food down with them. For a moment they eat in silence, until Tsunade initiates conversation.

"Your injuries are looking better," she comments to Zabuza.

He grunts in respone. It seems clear he's not much in the mood for talking, so Hinata's not entirely sure what possesses her to ask, "What happened?"

He lifts his gaze to her once more, but this time she feels he's staring less because she's an anomaly to this hosuehold. This time, she sees him taking in the scars that are fading, but noneless still cover her face and her exposed arms. Hinata resists the urge to look away especially when she sees Haku smiling kindly at her.

Finally Zabuza leans back in his chair and crosses his arms over his chest, if anything making his large scar more prominent.

"My last mission didn't go so well. I was ordered to stop a man fleeing through this very forest. He was stronger than I'd expected and got away."

He says his words so matter-of-factly that Hinata's surprised. There's no tough-guy pride causing him to cover up his mistakes. She thinks that perhaps it comes from being strong enough that he can deal with certain losses.

"What was he fleeing from?" Naruto asks, caught up in the drama.

But Zabuza does nothing to feed his imagination. "Confidential," is the only word Naruto gets in response.

There's a moment of silence that Jiraiya breaks. "Well, I'm sure you'll be back out there to redeem yourself soon enough."

If Zabuza's heard him, he give no acknowledgement of it. Their meal continues. Soon Naruto starts up a new conversation with Haku and any talk of Zabuza's previous exploits have been forgotten. However, hard as she may try to block it out and listen to the boys, Hinata's aware that Zabuza's watching her with the same look that her host and hostess have been giving her. It's as if they're all watching for something. If only she knew what…

After dinner, Haku, Hinata, and Naruto leave the adults inside and go out into the yard. It's the first breath of fresh air that she's taken in what feels like forever, and when Naruto suggests they take a walk through the woods before it gets too dark, Hinata's the first to agree.

Naruto leads them through the dense forest until they come to a small pond. Lily pads litter the surface, and at one edge a wooden bench for two had been constructed. Hinata doesn't even have to stop to wonder if this is Tsunade and Jiraiya's place. She's seen multiple toad statues around the house along with other strange carvings. Jiraiya seems to have a thing for toads and Tsunade favors slugs (she can't imagine why).

Naruto's already headed down the short slope to the water in search of frogs. Hinata smiles. As serious as he can be, he really does have a bit of a short attention span. Hinata herself sits on the bench with Haku.

"It really is good to see you again," she says for the sake of small talk.

Haku smiles at her. "I'm sorry about all the awkwardness tonight. Zabuza can be a little hard to read sometimes, but he really is a good person. Like I told you before, he took me in off the streets when I had no where to go." Haku hesitates as if he's unsure whether or not to say something, then decides to blurt it out anyway. "And he saved you."

Hinata blinks, eyes wide, confused. "What?"

Haku fiddles with his hands. "He didn't want me to say anything. Said he didn't want to take any credit when really Tsunade was the one who brought you back to health. But… that night when he was returning home from the mission he failed… he came across your body on the way back. He figured you two had been attacked by the same person." Haku chuckles. "When he returned and I was treating his wounds, he kept going on about how surprised he was that you were still breathing when he went over to inspect you. Anyway, he left in Tsunade's front yard where he was sure they'd find you. Tonight at dinner, her wasn't staring at your wounds. He was observing how much better you looked."

Hinata looks out over the pond where Naruto has slipped and is nearly submerged in water, still attempting to capture the elusive frog. Her mind is positively buzzing with this new information.

"Wow…" she manages, her voice a whisper.

Haku gives her another of his soft smiles. "I'm glad you're okay. You're lucky you were attacked in these woods. Zabuza left you with the best care possible."

Hinata looks down at her hands and mumbles, "I think I would have been luckier if I hadn't been in _any_ forest at all that day." As soon as she says it she wants to bite back her words, but it's too late now.

Haku is silent for a moment. Then, "You're right. I'm sorry; that was thoughtless of me."

"No, _I'm_ sorry. I really am grateful to all that Zabuza-san has done for me. Could you let him know? I promise I won't tell anyone what he did," she says as this time both of them turn back to the pond. Naruto's finally caught the frog and is holding up his prize by one of its legs as the frog flails, upside down.

"Look at this, Hinata-chan!" he calls, his voice so loud she's sure it echoes throughout the entire forest. "I caught 'im!"

Hinata laughs and Haku calls, "You better put him down, Naruto, we should probably be heading back." But it turns out that his first piece of advice wasn't needed as, a second later, the frog wriggles from his grip. His spirits still high, Naruto comes bounding up the hill and leads the procession back home.

When they return home the adults are already outside, waiting for them.

"Haku and Zabuza were about to head home," says Jiraiya as the taller man nods at Haku. "I'm going to accompany them back. Don't cause any trouble while I'm gone," he says, half-jokingly to Hinata and Naruto.

As it turned out, he needn't have worried. The two of them fall asleep almost immediately upon returning to their rooms.

….

When Jiraiya returns the house is silent, but he is positive Tsunade at least is still awake. He shuts the door behind him as silently as humanly possible and creeps to the room they share.

He finds her dressed for bed with a glass of wine in her hand. However, while she's drunk enough to have a hangover the next morning, she's still lucid and staring forlornly at the wall.

He crawls up onto the bed behind and wraps his arms around her neck, guessing what she looks so sad about. After all, it's been on his mind a lot recently as well.

"Hey," he says softly, making his voice sound sympathetic.

When all he gets in response is a bittersweet smile, Jiraiya sighs. "You know it's going to come out eventually," he whispers, not meaning to be harsh, but truthful. "You've known it from the beginning when you first suspected who she was."

A sob tears its way out of Tsunade's throat.

"I know why you're doing this," he says gently. "I know you're still hurt and angry… believe me, I am too. But keeping their daughter away from them isn't going to bring Minato or Kushina back."

"I know," she sobs, sounding absolutely miserable. "I know I'm being a horribly selfish bitch… and Hinata doesn't deserve to be kept in the dark either… it's just… I want them to feel what they made us go through… even if it's just a taste…" She's crying too hard to say any more.

"I know…" Jiraiya murmers, rubbing her back. "I know."

**Review please! **

**I don't own Naruto! I actually planned for this to be shorter… Well, I suppose that's good at least. (: **


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

As June rolls in Hinata finds she's forced to abandon the sweatshirts she's gotten so attached to. It's clear that they're in for an early summer, but she knows that if she wasn't dying of heat she'd keep herself covered up all year long.

She self-consciously runs her hands over her arms where the scars are still most distinct. Naruto has already told her not to worry about it- they're not a big deal. Which is easy for him to say, she can't help thinking. What with his perfectly unmarred skin and the muscles that show when he's not wearing his shirt… Which has been more and more often lately.

Already blushing, Hinata quickly shakes her head to be rid of those thoughts. They're a prime subject in her mind recently. She's immensely relieved that it doesn't show on her face… or that Naruto's just too oblivious to see it there.

Speaking of, he's running across the grass this very moment. As he nears the house, she notices that the sun lighting up his yellow-blond hair and tan skin gives his entire body a golden glow. She ducks her head and quickly retreats to her room in the back of the house as he walks through the door.

However, when his loud, booming voice doesn't attract the attention of his grandparents (who are still sleeping and have grown used the noise over the years) he goes searching for her. She looks up as her door flies open, pretending she hadn't just been watching him.

"O-oh… Naruto-kun." Her voice has fallen to a whisper every time she speaks his name which only causes her to blush harder, but Naruto doesn't see very far beyond this. Though he does see that her face is abnormally red.

"Good morning, Hinata-chan. Hey… your face is really bright… are you sick or something?"

"N-no… I'm sure it's just the heat." She doesn't drag her gaze from the floor.

"Oh," he says, easily accepting this answer. "Well staying cooped up in here all day can't be helping."

Hinata doesn't answer. She isn't sure how Tsunade feels about her roaming the woods anymore. To be honest, sometimes it seems like Tsunade isn't sure how she feels.

_Be reasonable, _she tells herself, _She's probably just trying to keep you safe. Remember what happened the last time you went adventuring through this forest?_

Hinata almost laughs aloud at her silent thoughts. Because no, she doesn't remember. 'Adventuring' may not even be accurate. She still can't remember what she was doing in these woods in the first place. Not knowing is eating her alive, but at the same time she knows there's a part of her that doesn't want to know, and sometimes… she wonders if that's what's blocking her memories.

"Hey… Are you listening?"

She looks up, startled. "Sorry. What?"

"You _do_ need to get out of the house," he decides.

Considering her attitude recently, Hinata could have thought up many excuses for being outside should she be accused later on. Though she doubts she would have the courage to defend herself. It's not just that she hates to think of imposing upon Tsunade's hospitality. She's found that she's a very passive person. But she lets Naruto take her hand and pull her out of the house. Her cheeks go red as he pulls her deeper into the woods but does not let go of her hand. Finally, he stops abruptly and releases her.

"Oh, crap!"

"What?" she asks, startled.

"I was supposed to have extra lessons with Iruka-sensei today!"

Before she can stop herself, Hinata giggles. "Aren't you always late anyway?"

"Well, yeah… but he said we were gonna go over something important today. I'll see you later, Hinata-chan!" he calls over her shoulder, already racing off.

She watches him with a smile on her face and figures that she might as well not go back now and enjoy her time in the outside world. Though… now that she's out here, she's realizing just how hot it is. Even under the shade of the trees the humidity wraps around her like a blanket.

Her mind wanders to the stream. She's made a point to visit it every time she _is_ outside. She isn't sure why, but it's become her… rock of sorts, though it feels strange to such a thing about water. She's comfortable there. But she'd be the first to admit that she's never gone farther into the woods than the stream. It's like her barrier… and the force field that's keeping her away from something at the same time.

Hinata reaches her destination and sits on the bank, dipping her feet into the water. She shivers at how cold it is, but on a day like this, it's refreshing at the same time. She's so relaxed… just beginning to consider just slipping her entire body into the little river when her eyes are startled open by the bushes nearby rustling.

Slowly, her heart returns to its normal pace, reassured that it's just an animal… which is why she's even more surprised when a girl stumbled into the little clearing.

The girl is a bit younger than herself and looks just as surprised to see her. It's the recognition in the girl's eyes that make Hinata look her over, and with the biggest start of all, she realizes that she recongizes the girl as well.

Not by name, but this younger girl has the same black hair that she does, though this girl's hair is long and reaches down to her waist. She looks into her face and sees her own eyes. The white eyes that look almost lavender in just the right shade of light, the pupil nothing more than a miniscule circle just a shade darker than their irises.

The girl has come closer and is taking in her scars in a sort of fascinated horror. Self-conscious, Hinata wants to tear her eyes away from this mysterious girl who looks so much like herself, but she find that she can not.

Slowly, the girl reaches out a petite hand to touch Hinata's cheek, as if she's making sure she's real. When her hand touches a solid human body, tears gather in her eyes.

"Hinata!" she whispers before flinging her arms around her.

**Review please!**

**I felt this was a little shorter than usual, but the story should pick up a little after this…**

**I don't own Naruto!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

…_Meanwhile, in the Uchiha Kingdom…_

A pink-haired girl sighs and looks over at her best friend. "I wish you'd eat something."

"Sakura, stop worrying so much," Ino replies, attempting to divert the attention from herself for perhaps the first time in her life. "I'm fine, I swear. It's a little early for lunch anyway, and don't you have other things to be worrying about?"

Sakura groans and leans her chair back on its two rear legs, obviously wishing her friend had refrained from brining it up. Being the daughter of the Uchiha family's doctor, the teenage girl had quite a lot of contact with the royal family- more than the average person. She also had a raging crush on the prince, but one only her best friend Ino knows about.

Ino follows Sakura as she gets up and strides to her room in the back of the house. Though not nearly as lavish as the Uchiha palace, the Haruno household has the look of someone important. Ino sits on her friend's red bedspread as the other girl begins rifling through her closet.

"I need to find something to wear so I can make a good impression when I go to visit him later," she complains, wearing the look of one who's done this multiple times already.

"I stick by what I said before," says Ino, leaning back to look up at the ceiling, not appearing terribly interested. "You make the best impressions when you're not _trying_ to make an impression."

"Come on, Ino, this is important! I might actually have a chance now!" The pink-haired girl claps a hand over her mouth as soon as she realizes what she's said, but it's too late now. "That was awful," she whispers, in awe at her own subconscious daring. "I can't believe I just said that."

Ino smiles at her sympathetically. "But so true, right?" Her friend looks down out of shame. "It's okay. I wont tell. Just don't go saying those sorts of things around town or in the market. The Hyuga rulers are starting to threaten war. They think Sasuke and his family have gone and kidnapped her or something. People are starting to get worried."

"I never wanted her to get hurt or anything," Sakura says quietly. "I just wanted her out of Sasuke's life."

She's rewarded with another understanding smile from her best friend. "I know. But let's get back to your outfit. I don't think what you have on right now is too bad." Sakura is wearing a simple pink dress- almost the exact color of her hair- that is slightly ruffled at the bottom. "Oh! I almost forgot!" Ino digs around in her excessively large bag and finally unearths a hair clip.

She crosses her friend's bedroom and clips it above her right ear. It's made with a real red flower from the shop Ino's mother runs.

"Perfect! I think you're ready."

…_Back in the woods with Hinata…_

Stunned, Hinata is frozen with the younger girls arms still wrapped around her tightly. She opens and closes her mouth a few times, unsure of what to say. Fortunately, she doesn't have to. The girl retreats when another voice-this one a male's- breaks through the silence.

"Lady Hanabi!" They've just separated when a boy rushes into the clearing, following in the exact footsteps of the young girl-Hanabi.

Hinata sucks in another breath as she takes in the boy. He has long dark brown hair that's really just a few shades lighter than black. It's tied together near the tips almost into a ponytail-type thing. He appears to be her age, maybe a bit older, but that's not what catches her eye. They have the same eyes…

He wears an exhausted look as he looks down at Hanabi- a look much too old for him.

"Lady Hanabi," he scolds. "You can't go running off like that. What would your father do if he found out I lost you, too?"

"Neji!" she cuts in, visibly excited. "Look!"

She points to Hinata kneeling behind her. He follows her pointing and gasps, completely taken aback. He stares at her, and once again she feels a pair of eyes travel up and down her body, taking in her scars. She wants to look away, but for some reason she's drawn to this odd pair. She can't shake the fact that they look so much like her… that she knows them from somewhere.

Neji's eyes find hers and he doesn't look away. His mouth has fallen open from the shock. After a moment, he unroots himself and takes a shaky step backwards. Then he falls to one knee and bows his head. It takes her a moment for her mind to work through the sheer absurdness of it all. He's _bowing_ to _her._

"Lady Hinata," he says. Then corrects himself, "Princess. I'm so glad to see that you're okay."

"Wh-what are you talking about?" she stammers, utterly bewildered. She's thinking about running from this complete madness, and she actually turns only to find yet another surprise. Tsunade's standing behind her.

Unfortunately, the two misinterpret her confused, slightly fearful look. Neji gets back on his feet and moves to stand protectively in front of Hanabi.

"Lady Hinata," he says slowly, seemingly trying to ignore Tsunade's presence. "Everyone's been so worried. Why haven't you returned home?"

"Who… Who are you?" Hinata asks, baffled.

Neji takes a moment to absorb her words, then turns angrily to Tsunade. "What have you done to her?"

"Watch your tone, boy!" Tsunade says in such a stern, commanding voice that even Neji backs off. Then she sighs and, running a hand through her hair, turns to Hinata and the other two as a whole. "Perhaps you should both come back with us… there's a lot of explaining to be done."

Neji looks about to protest, but Hanabi rushes forward and grabs hold of Hinata's hand. Hinata doesn't have the heart to shake her off, and Neji is left with no choice but to accompany them.

…

"I… I don't understand," says Hinata. "You're saying I'm… I'm a… princess?" she can't help nearly whispering the last word. After all had been explained, she'd expected for everything to fall into place, to finally make sense. But instead, she finds that her world has remained upside down. If anything, she's more confused than she was before.

Neji nods his head emphatically. "Yes. You are the eldest daughter and heir to the Hyuga family."

There are so many things she wants to ask, but the question that comes out isn't the one that anyone- not even she herself- had been expecting.

"Eldest… How… How many siblings do I have?"

"Why… It's just you and Lady Hanabi."

The younger girl looks up at her sadly from her spot beside her at the table. "Sis, your really don't remember anything?"

Hinata looks right into her eyes and immediately feel guilty. She wishes she could unearth some memory of the two of them and share it with the table, but… it's just not there. "No… I'm sorry."

Quietly, Tsunade says, "Now that you're around familiar people, your memories may start to return sooner."

"With no help from you," Neji says bitterly to her. Her look does not stop him from continuing, "You should have returned her to her family the second you knew you had the Hyuga princess under your roof! Do you have any idea how much grief you've caused? What right do you have to keep her prisoner here?"

Tsunade's gaze is hard. "She was hardly prisoner," the older woman says shortly. "And as her doctor, I have all authority to say that it was in her best interests for me to keep her here. I was observing her for any further signs of damage."

"Really?" his tone is no less mockingly harsh. "And what's your prognosis?"

"Stop it!" The words explode from Hinata, but still she wishes her tone could replicate Tsunade's. "Stop treating her like some sort of criminal! She's taken really good care of me."

Though her voice peters out a bit at the end, it's still her and not strong, controlling Tsunade that makes Neji back down. Tsunade doesn't appear to hear her though and addresses Neji.

"There's the chance that your cousin's memory will never return. It's almost impossible to tell at this point. Of course, we also need to consider that she could make a full recovery. And I'm prepared to explain this whole mess to her father."

Neji stands abruptly. "Good. Then there's not a minute to lose. Let's go."

Hinata's head is spinning. This is all moving so quickly! And doesn't she get a say? But Tsunade's already standing as well.

"Yes. I'm aware."

**Review please!**

**I don't own Naruto.**


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